tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395294041223375958.post3933315081500134370..comments2022-03-24T14:07:41.311-05:00Comments on The Rainbow in the Storm: Losing JoyKaitlynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384882548814012985noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395294041223375958.post-50235748919498566512013-04-16T09:41:51.637-05:002013-04-16T09:41:51.637-05:00I appreciated you making a stand about the whole &...I appreciated you making a stand about the whole "spreading your wings and getting free of your family finally" junk. :P It drives me nuts when people say stuff like that. We are a part of our family, and we should be proud of that and thankful for it! I am proud of carrying my father's name, and I try to live up to his legacy, and follow in his footsteps and under his guidance through the principles he has taught me.<br /><br /><br />You bring up a good issue about where you find your joy. One of my pet peeves is when people eschew intimate relationships in which you rely on other people because they are afraid of being 'dependent' and thus 'idolizing' a person instead of God. We are called to be interdependent on each other; called to submit to each other; called to help each other, and thus to accept help from each other, and thus to need help from each other; called lean on each other because we each have different callings and places in the Body. God is our single and only and greatest treasure, our only reliable foundation and person to depend on, our only object of worship and submission, but He in His wisdom and grace interacts with the world and with us _through_ us - through His Body. So when you love God, you love your neighbour and you love the Church. When you serve God, you will serve your brothers. When you rely on God, you rely on God in your brothers in Christ. When do good to your brothers, you do good to Christ - in the same way, when you accept help from a brother, you accept help from Christ. For without Christ he would have done nothing, and you would not be blessed by it.<br /><br />In the same way, if we find joy in anything - for the right reasons - we are finding joy in God. If you worship and serve the creature or creation INSTEAD OF the Creator, you have a serious issue. But if you find joy and thanksgiving in the creature or creation BECAUSE OF the Creator, then you are truly worshipping and serving the God who made all things. Thus, even if you rely on someone and find joy in them, if you are doing it with the recognition of them being there because of God and in the work of His will, then you are finding joy in God ultimately. The blessing of this is that if God sees fit to remove that particular blessing at some time, although you may feel sorrow and pain, you do not get depressed or feel great loss because the source of that joy is still there, and you can still find that joy through other avenues.Jaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395294041223375958.post-33480551596451122142013-04-09T20:25:53.593-05:002013-04-09T20:25:53.593-05:00Thank you, Kaitlyn, and I pray for you that Jesus&...Thank you, Kaitlyn, and I pray for you that Jesus' will will be done in your life!Maria Tathamhttp://www.christianfantasyforwomen.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395294041223375958.post-16389686480927795782013-04-08T21:53:23.802-05:002013-04-08T21:53:23.802-05:00You are so welcome! I will be praying for you.You are so welcome! I will be praying for you.Kaitlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07384882548814012985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395294041223375958.post-34767579648085345972013-04-08T21:52:31.727-05:002013-04-08T21:52:31.727-05:00I am so glad the Lord could use my struggles to be...I am so glad the Lord could use my struggles to be an encouragement and impact you, Aussie. That was my prayer. :)<br /><br />Kaitlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07384882548814012985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395294041223375958.post-79067479319094451072013-04-08T21:28:39.142-05:002013-04-08T21:28:39.142-05:00Kaitlyn, this is a word in season for me. Thank yo...Kaitlyn, this is a word in season for me. Thank you, bless you!Maria Tathamhttp://www.christianfantasyforwomen.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395294041223375958.post-24616951195752095582013-04-08T19:55:11.981-05:002013-04-08T19:55:11.981-05:00Your post really challenged me, Kaitlyn. I too, ha...Your post really challenged me, Kaitlyn. I too, have a very close knit family, and having been deeply rocked by doubts in certain areas of my faith lately, this post keeps coming back to mind; it has impacted me greatly. Thankyou so much for baring your heart and sharing it. xoJasmine Ruigrokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01976708690026168727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395294041223375958.post-73083112440092865752013-04-07T23:51:39.889-05:002013-04-07T23:51:39.889-05:00Thanks, Jonathan. :)Thanks, Jonathan. :)Kaitlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07384882548814012985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395294041223375958.post-6472272480394442862013-04-07T22:35:32.306-05:002013-04-07T22:35:32.306-05:00Wonderful thoughts, Kaitlyn. :)
I'm looking f...Wonderful thoughts, Kaitlyn. :)<br /><br />I'm looking forward to reading your upcoming posts.Jonathan Garnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176934519886605913noreply@blogger.com